Introduction

Despite the fact that ethnic Chinese make up only a very small minority of the populations of most Southeast Asian countries, they tend to contribute a disproportionally large share to economic activity in the region. This phenomenon can be observed in countries such as the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and most prominently in Indonesia. Many of the large businesses in Southeast Asia are started and managed by families of Chinese descent. The majority of these family empires are organised in a cluster of separate companies, hence the term business group.